More Shutdown Countdown Nonsense

Orange Julius is now being completely controlled by the Tea Party wing, and the move to shut down the government is moving forward.

In the weekly conference meeting Wednesday morning, GOP leaders intend to propose a continuing resolution to keep the federal funded beyond Sept. 30 but strip out funding for Obamacare. The move was first reported by the conservative National Review.

Senior Republicans know the strategy is a nonstarter in the Democratic-led Senate, and for months have wanted to avoid a shutdown confrontation over Obamacare. The latest move is a tacit admission from leaders that they have, for the moment at least, been defeated by conservatives who are eager to eliminate the health care law at all costs. When the House bill fails in the Senate, as it is certain to do, House GOP leaders would then try to pass a "clean" continuing resolution that funds the government but leaves Obamacare alone. The prospects of a clean stopgap bill winning over most House Republicans are also remote.

"No decisions have been made, or will be made, until House Republican Members meet and talk tomorrow," said House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) spokesman Michael Steel.

There's now the very real chance that Orange Julius will have to face the prospect of taking 40-50 Republicans and the vast majority of House Democrats in order to pass a budget bill that favors the Democrats, or shut down the government because the Tea Party won't be able to get the votes to defund Obamacare in the House.

And the Tea Party has made it clear such a bill going around them will cost Boehner his gavel.

The long-predicted schism in the House GOP is maybe only days away from erupting.  Stay tuned, folks.  This might be the big one.